Target defense system comprising a projectile launcher device

ABSTRACT

The invention relates to a defense system for a target against an attacking projectile of the type incorporating a launcher for defensive projectiles and control means for the device after the attacking projectile has been detected, wherein the launcher device comprises a cupola mobile in bearing with respect to the target and a launcher integral with the cupola and articulated in elevation in the bearing range of the cupola to ensure the compactness of the whole assembly with respect to the target.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The technical scope of the present invention is that of protectiondevices for a target attacked by a projectile.

2. Description of the Related Art

To protect a target, such as an armored vehicle, a shelter or building,it is known to provide means enabling an attacking projectile to bespotted and a defensive projectile to be fired in retaliation todestroy, deviate and/or perturb the attacking projectile before itreaches said target. The attacking projectile is very often a missile,but may be any of other type, for example a discarding-sabot projectile,a shaped or hollow charge projectile, etc. . . .

Thus, patent FR-A-2 722 873 describes a protection system comprising alauncher container, mobile in elevation and in bearing, servo controlledby a detection system allowing the firing of a defensive projectile tobe triggered from the container. In this patent, a defensive projectileconstituted by a splinter grenade is proposed.

A system is also known described by U.S. Pat. No. 5,036,748 comprising acupola mobile in bearing with respect to an armored vehicle andsupporting two launcher tubes mobile in elevation. A radar systemenables the attacking missile to be spotted and the launch of ananti-missile defensive projectile to be triggered.

Patent DE-3 410 467 also proposes a defensive projectile constituted bya splinter-forming charge designed to perturb the attacking missile.

U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,229,540, 4,765,244 and FR-2458044 describe defensesystems against attacking missiles that consist of the launch of adefensive projectile against such missiles.

In all the proposed systems, classical means are used to ensureorientation in elevation and in bearing, analogous to those implementedto orient a cannon or launcher. As a reminder, we note that the cannonis mobile in elevation with respect to a turret or support and that thisturret is mobile in bearing with respect to the target. Thisarchitecture is well known to orient the cannon in all directions.

The drawback of these systems lies in the fact that they cause amodification of the silhouette of the target making it easier for theattacker to detect and thus more visible and more vulnerable.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The aim of the present invention is to supply a defense systemintegrated into a target to be protected and which gives the latter amore compact appearance.

The invention thus relates to a defense system for a target against anattacking projectile of the type incorporating a launcher device fordefensive projectiles and control means for the device after theattacking projectile has been detected, wherein the launcher devicecomprises a cupola mobile in bearing with respect to the target and alauncher integral with the cupola and articulated in elevation in thebearing range of the cupola to ensure the compactness of the wholeassembly with respect to the target.

According to one characteristic of the invention, the launcher ismounted articulated at its base around a hinge pin integral with thecupola.

According to another characteristic of the invention, the cupola is inthe form of a circular seat delimiting a lateral wall whose height isless than half its external diameter.

According to yet another characteristic of the invention, the launcheris activated in elevation by a jack placed in the inner space delimitedby the lateral wall, integral at one end with the cupola and whose rodis integral with a lever extending the base of said launcher.

According to another characteristic of the invention, at zero elevationjack rod is parallel to the plane (P1) of rotation in bearing of thecupola.

Advantageously, the launcher is articulated in elevation according to anangle of between −10° and +70°.

Advantageously again, the length of the launcher is substantially equalto the diameter (d) of the cupola.

Advantageously again, the launcher incorporates at least two launchertubes placed side by side.

Advantageously again, the cupola is activated in bearing rotation withrespect to the target using a rack pinion assembly, the pinion beingintegral with the cupola.

Advantageously again, the rack is integral with the control meanscomprising a double-acting jack whose piston is activated by a hydraulicunit.

Advantageously again, the axis of the piston is substantially parallelto the plane of bearing rotation.

A first advantage of the system according to the invention lies in thefact that the cupola and the launcher form a single unit integratable inany type of target.

Another advantage lies in the fact that the outer dimensions of thesingle unit are compatible with the environment of a combat tank.

Another advantage lies in the fact that a target may be equipped withseveral systems according to the invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Other characteristics, particulars and advantages of the invention willbecome more apparent from the following description given by way ofillustration and in reference to the drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a general view of the launcher device,

FIG. 2 is a side view of the launcher positioned on its support,

FIG. 3 is a vertical section of the cupola showing the elevation andbearing rotation means,

FIG. 4 shows the cupola's bearing drive means,

FIGS. 5 to 7 show the positions of the launcher at negative, zero andpositive elevations.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

FIG. 1 shows a general view of the launcher device 1 according to theinvention, the control means after the detection of an attackingprojectile not being shown. Indeed, this system is known in itself andmay be constituted by an embodiment such as those divulged by thepreviously mentioned patents. A preferred application of the inventionconsists in equipping a combat tank with one or several fixed cupolaseither on the chassis or on the turret.

The device such as shown in this Figure may be integrated onto anytarget requiring protection by providing a ring equipped with a bearing.It comprises a cupola 2 in the form of a seat 3 having circular symmetrywhose lateral cylindrical wall only may be seen. This seat 3 isgenerally flattened in shape and its height is reduced with respect toits diameter so as to delimit a receptacle intended to receive theelevation control means. By way of illustration, the height of the seatmay be less than its radius. This seat receives, on its upper side, alauncher 4 comprising two defensive projectile launch tubes 5 and 6connected together. Tubes 5 and 6 are oriented in the same direction,that is to say their firing axes are parallel. The launcher 4 isarticulated in elevation with respect to the seat 3 around trunnions 7whose ends are fixed along a secant. There is the hydraulic unit 8located in the receptacle under the launcher 4 that controls itselevation rotation.

Under the seat 2, control means 9 ensure the bearing rotation of thisseat with respect to the target in relation with the hydraulic unit 10.

Naturally, the cupola 2 may be equipped with a greater number of tubes,for example 3 to 6. It is preferable for the firing axes of these tubesto be parallel to each other so as to keep the compactness of theassembly. Thus, if three tubes are provided the three firing axes willbe in the same plane.

FIG. 2 shows a view of the device 1 placed on a support 11 that is partof the target. The cupola 2 is mounted able to rotate with respect tothe support 11 by means of a bearing 12. To ensure the bearing rotationof the cupola, it is fitted with a shaft 13 aligned along the axis 14 ofthe bearing 12. The shaft 13 is provided with a pinion 15 cooperatingwith the control means 9. As may be seen in this Figure, the launcher 4is provided at its bottom wall 16 with reception means for the trunnions7 to ensure a rotation around the hinge pin 17. This hinge pin 17 islocated below and outside of the launcher. This arrangement ensures theelevation rotation of the launcher in the bearing rotation of thecupola.

FIG. 3 represents a section of the elevation and bearing control meansfor the device. The launcher 4 is fitted with a lever 18 fixed at itsbase and whose free end extends beyond the hinge pin 17. To orient thelauncher 4 in elevation, the seat 3 is provided in its receptacle with ajack 19 whose rod 20 is fixed at the free end 21 of the lever 18 andwhose body is fixed by a joint 22 to the seat. The jack 19 is inrelation with the hydraulic unit 8 to ensure its functioning. Under theseat 3, the hydraulic unit 10 in relation with the control means 9ensures the bearing rotation of the cupola.

FIG. 4 illustrates the embodiment of the control means 9 which are fixedrigidly to the target by two fork joints 23 and 24. These means are infact a double-acting jack whose body 25 receives a rod 26 which supportsa rack 27 meshed with the pinion 15. This body delimits two lateralchambers 28 and 29 in which the ends of the rod form pistons 30 and 31whose sealing in the respective chambers 28 and 29 is ensured in aclassical manner. A free space is provided between chambers 28 and 29intended for the clearance of the rack 27. Chambers 28 and 29 arerespectively supplied with fluid via orifices 32 and 33 by the hydraulicunit 10. The Figure shows the rod 27 on the right which means that thechamber 29 has emptied by orifice 33 whereas chamber 28 has filled byorifice 32. Thus, the rack 27 is activated in translation following a toand fro motion activating the filling of one or other of the two chamberto drive the pinion 15 in rotation and thus drive the cupola in bearingrotation. Naturally, the rack 27 may occupy all the intermediatepositions so as to drive cupola in bearing according to the positionrequired by the user.

FIGS. 5 to 7 show three positions of the launcher 4 in elevation furtherto the activation of the cylinder 19.

FIG. 5 shows the maximal negative elevation of around −10°. The lever 18can be seen to be pushed near to the inner lateral wall of the seat 3and the rod of the jack 19 is in its position of maximal extension. Thatis P1 the bearing plane, P2 the parallel plane to P1 through the hingepoint of the lever. If P3 is defined as the plane parallel to P1 throughthe hinge point of the lever 18 parallel to plane P1, the end of thecylinder rod is thus above plane P2 near to bearing plane P1. Thedistance separating these two planes P3 and P2 is of around 1 to 2% ofthe seat's diameter.

FIG. 6 shows the launcher 4 at zero elevation where plane P2 is the sameas plane P3. The jack 19 is thus in plane P2.

FIG. 7 shows the maximal elevation of around +70°, the jack rod 19 beingtotally retracted and above plane P2. The distance separating the twoplanes P2 and P3 is of around 4 to 5% of the seat's diameter.

Thus, a minimal variation in position of the jack 19 allows asatisfactory variation in elevation of the launcher 4. It is thisarrangement in the bearing which satisfactorily ensures the compactnessof the whole structure. This compactness is important in that it meansthat the silhouette of the target need not be greatly modifiedespecially where the target is an armored combat vehicle.

1. A defense system, comprising: a cupola having a circular seat for rotating about a central axis, said circular seat having a lateral wall whose height is less than half its external diameter; a launcher comprising at least two projectile launch tubes, said projectile launch tubes being aligned parallel to each other, said projectile launch tubes each having a length substantially equal to the diameter of said circular seat, said projectile launch tubes being positioned next to each other, an end of said launcher being pivotally attached to said cupola, wherein said launcher is articulated in elevation with respect to said circular seat around trunnions whose ends are fixed along a secant of said circular seat; and a hydraulic unit located under said launcher and attached to said circular seat, said hydraulic unit for controlling the elevation of the launcher with respect to said circular seat.
 2. The defense system according to claim 1, further comprising a hinge pin integral to said cupola to which said launcher is pivotally attached.
 3. The defense system according to claim 2, wherein said hydraulic unit comprises a jack and a jack rod, said jack attached to said circular seat and said rod attached to said launcher.
 4. The defense system according to claim 3, further comprising a lever having two ends, said lever attached at one end to the rear part of said launcher, the other end of said lever attached to said rod, said lever being pivotally attached to said hinge pin between the two ends of said lever.
 5. The defense system according to claim 4, wherein said launcher may be elevated 10 degrees below horizontal and 70 degrees above horizontal.
 6. The defense system according to claim 3, wherein said jack rod is parallel to a plane of rotation of said cupola when said launcher is at zero elevation.
 7. The defense system according to claim 1, wherein said cupola is rotated with a rack and pinion assembly.
 8. The defense system of claim 7, wherein said pinion is integral with said cupola.
 9. The defense system of claim 8, wherein said rack is attached to a double-acting jack whose piston is activated by a second hydraulic unit.
 10. The defense system according to claim 9, wherein said piston is substantially parallel to said cupola's plane of rotation. 